Electrical conduit wire puller



, 2` sheets-sheet 1 M. E. JONES 4 FILEC'LRICLl CONDUIT WIRE PULI-.ER

NN QN WN Jan. 8, 1963 Filed J'gn. 2o. leso mvg/woe M11. row ./aNEs sr.

Arran/srs Filed Jan'. 20;"1960 vwn E. JoNEs l 3,072,382

Y @ELECTRICAL CONDUIT WIRE PULLEE l 2 Sheelas-Sheet 2 direction.

Paten-ted Jan. s, 1963( The present invention relates to the installation of electrical wiring in buildings and more particularly toa powered mechanism for facilitating the pulling of conductor wire through conduits in a building.

In the construction of buildings, safety considerations. make it desirable thatelectrical wiring be enclosed within protective metal conduits. In the usual case, the conduits are embedded within the walls of the building, suitable outlets being provided on the various floors and locations at which conductor wire is to emerge. The conduit is generally a rigid tubular pipe of several inches diameter and is permanently placed. in the wall at the time the wall is first fabricated. In the case of concrete Walls, the concrete is poured around the conduit.

The constructionof the walls and the placement of the set forth in the following description of the preferred conduit therein is customarily done well prior to the time at which the electrical wiring proper is installed. The electrician thus finds pre-formed narrow passages in Athe walls, i.e. the installed'conduit, through which conduit and subsequently usingthe line to pull the heavier conductor 'wire therethrough. e

The present invention expedites the wire pulling'operation by providing a winch mechanism, preferably power driven, in combination with a novel support and pulley systemwhich permits the winch topull in any required The ability of the puller to be quickly set up fof pulling at any angle is extremely advantageous since wire may variously have to be pulled upward from a conduit opening'in the iioor, downward from an over- I 4head conduit opening, or laterally from wall openingsl inclined at any of various angles.

`The winch support must be provided with a facility for bracing the winch against movement'in the direction at which thepull is exertedsince considerable tension must sometimes be applied and it-.is not feasible,

from the standpoint otma'neuverability, to make theA mechanism sufficiently heavy to resist movement by `Weight alone. Y

yAccordingly the present `invention provides a support assemblyv for the winch and a long rigidbrace pivotabiy att-ached to .the s upport at one end thereof. A first pulley wheel is mounted at the` pivot joint between the support and brace and a second pulley is slidably mounted on the brace, means being provided for clamping the second pulley at a selected position on the brace.

yThe foregoing structure can very quickly be set up to pull` in any direction. The support assembly is inclined if necessary, the end thereof oppositethe pivot joint being rested on the floor. The brace is then pivoted to the direction along which the ,'pull is to be exerted and the end thereof abutted against the surface adjacent the conduit opening. A line from the-winch is then i looped over the pulleys, threaded through the conduit and attached to the conductor wire, and the winch operated to quickly and eiciently draw the wire through the conduit. c

It is accordingly an object of this invention' to-provide apparatus to expedite the installation of electrical wiring in buildings.

It is another obiect of this invention to provide a mechanism for facilitating the pulling of conductor wire through electrical conduits ina building. v

It is an object of; this invention to provide a power driven mechanism for pulling conductor wire through electrical conduits. l

It is a further object of this invention to provide means facilitating the use of a winch for pulling conductor wire through electrical conduits which means can be quickly 4set up for pulling in any selected direction.

It is an object of the invention to provide a wire puller for drawing conductors through electrical conduits tween successive work locations.V

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying 'and forming part of the specication.'- It is to be understood, however, that variations in the sholwing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in l the claims.

FIGURE l is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG- URE l.

FIGURE 3' is a cross section View 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section view taken along line 4 4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating` use the invention to draw conductor wire through a hou-f zontal conduit opening.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view showning use-fof the invention to draw conductor wire from an overhead opening.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to FIGURES I and 2 thereof, there is shown a substantially triangular winch support frame 11 formed by tubular side members 12 which are spaced apart at a rst end to form legs 13 and which converge at the opposite end 14. Preferably the ends of the members 12 which form the legs 13 are bent into parallel relationship and the opposite end 14 of the frame is inclined ata small angle with respect to the principal portion of the frame.

A pair of spaced apart parallel cross-pieces 16 extend between the two side-members 12 at an intermediate position 'along the length of the frame and on the upper side thereof. A winch mechanism 17, having a rotatable drum 18 on which a considerable' length of flexible line 19 is wound, is secured to the cross-pieces 16 on the upper l side of the frame, the rotary axis of the Winch being transverse to the'length of the frame. .The Winch 17 may be of any suitable conventional design and is preferably of the power driven class. It will be found highly convenient to utilize a winch 17 of the type having a rotary power input shaft 21 which may he gripped by the chuck of a standard electrical hand drill power unit 22 as the power u'nit may then be used for other purposes when the wire puller is not in use. For this application, the drill motor 22 should be provided with a long spike 23 projecting at right angles to the rotary axis which spike maybe abutted against a nearby surface to prevent the motor from turning.

To provide a means for leading the line 19 in any selected direction and to' brace the frame 11 against the aken along line force produced by operation of the winch 17, a rigid tubular brace 24 is pivotably attached at one end to the pointed end 14 of the frame. To form the pivoting connection, a first pair of parallel spaced apart clevis arms 26 are welded or otherwise secured to the point 14 of the frame, the arms being directedparallel to the centerline of the adjacent frame end. A second pair of parallel spaced apart clevis arms 27 extend from the end of the brace 24 in the longitudinal direction, the arms 2'7 being separated a slightly greater distance than arms 26 in order to lit one on each side of the latter.

The extremity ofeach of the arms 26 and 27 is transpierced by a threaded bolt 28 which thus forms a pivot axle connecting brace 24 to frame 11.

Considering now provision for guiding the line 19 from winch 17, a first pulley wheel 29 is rotatably mounted on bolt 28 between clevis arms 26, the pulley wheel having a circumferential groove 31 in which the line may be disposed.

Referringnow to FIGURE 3 in conjunction with FIG- URE 2, a second pulley wheel 32, having a circumferential groove 33, is mountedlon brace 24 and is adapted to be slid along the brace to any selected location and clamped. The pulley 32 is rotatably mounted between a pair of spaced apart parallel clevis arms 34 which project in a lateral direction from a sleeve 36 disposed coaxially on brace 24, a bolt 37 being transpierced through the end portions of the arms to provide a pivot axle for the pulley. To permit the pulley to be clamped at a selected location along the brace 24, the sleeve 36 is formed with a longitudinal slot 33 along the side opposite arms 34, an outwardly projecting rectangular member 39 being secured to the sleeve along each margin of the slot. -A threaded bolt 41 is transpierced through openings 42 in each of the members 39 so that tightening of the bolt will act to clamp the pulley assembly at a chosen position and loosening of the bolt will permit the assembly to be slid along the brace or removed therefrom.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 in conjunction with'FlG- URE 2, an additional slidable fixture 43 will be found advantageous in situations where the length of the brace 24 precludes its being directly abutted against a surface adjacent a conduit opening, the use of the fixture being hereinafter discussed in more detail. The fixture comprises a second longitudinally slotted sleeve 44 disposed coaxially on brace 24 and having laterally projecting members 46 disposed along each margin ofthe slot 47. The members 46 preferably each have a rectangular section adjacent the sleeve 44 and diverge toward the outer extremities in quarter-circle arcs, having their concave faces adjacent, in such a manner that the members j may be fitted around the end of a conduit if necessary.

To provide for clamping of fixture 43 on brace 24, and for release of the fixture therefrom, a pair of bolts 48 are transpierced through the parallel rectangular sections of the members 46.

The above described mechanism may be quickly and conveniently set up to pull wire from any direction throughout a 300 degree arc and in virtually every location normally found in building. construction work. Referring now to FIGURE 5, a typical set-'up of the apparatus to pull wire through a vertical conduit which opens at door level is illustrated, the conduit 49 being shown opening into a rectangular junction box 51 which is inset in the wall.

In this application, the brace 24 is. pivoted to an upright position and the free end thereof abutted against the oor a small distance outward from the conduit 49 opening. Frame 11 then inclines downwardly and outwardly with respect to the upper end of brace 24 so that legs 13 rest on the floor, the assembly thus forming a stable tripod structure. For added stability, bolt 28 may be tightened to lock the brace 24 at the proper angular position with respect to the frame 11.

With the assembly set up asdescribed above, line 19 this instance the brace 24 is pivoted to a position slightly above the horizontal and the end thereof is abutted against the wall just below the conduit 52. As in the previous instance, the line 19 may be played over pulleys 29 and 32 and fed through the conduit 52 for attachment to conductor wire. Operation of winch 17 will again draw the wire through the conduit and the resultant force will be exerted largely longitudinally against the brace 24.

' In FIGURE ,7, a third representative use of the invention is shown in which wire is to be drawn downward from an overhead vertical conduit 54 within a box 56, such figure illustrating a typical use of the additional fixture 43. i I i ln this instance the framell is rested on any suitable support such as a block 57 at a point forward from the winch 17. Brace 24 is pivo'ted to an upright position adjacent the wall and the fixture 43 is slid along the brace, to a position where it extends within box 56 and abuts the upper surface thereof, and then clamped. The line 19 is then engaged over pulleys 29 and 32 as before and the winch 27 operated to pull the conductor Wire.

It should be understood that the set-ups of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 5 through 7 are merely examples of typical applications of the invention and that other positions suitable for pulling from other angles and locations are possible. It should be further understood that the second pulley assembly 32 or the fixture 43 may be removed from brace 24 in some instances where the presence of these units are not required'and might interfere with specialized operations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wire puller for drawing conductor wire through an electrical conduit, the combination comprising a winch Support having spaced apart legs at a first end and having a pivot joint formed at the opposite end, a substantially straight rigid brace having an end pivotally joined to said support at said pivot joint thereof for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said support and said brace, a rst rotatable pulley secured at said pivot joint, a second rotatable pulley slidably mounted on said brace, means for releasably clamping said second pulley at selected positions along said brace, a clamp member slidably mounted on and securable to said brace at selected longitudinal positions thereon, said clamp member providing a laterally projecting surface on said brace for engaging said brace against a surface adjacent said conduit, and a winch mechanism secured to said support and having a flexible retractable line which may be played over each of said pulleys and threaded through said conduit for attachment to said conductor wire.

2.'A puller for drawing conductor'wire through an electrical conduit comprising a rigid winch support having spaced apart support points at a first end and having a first pair of parallel spaced apart clevis arms at the 0pposite end, a pivoting substantially straight rigid brace of tubular construction having a second pair of parallel spaced apart clevis arms at one end which second clevis arms are meshed with said rst clevis arms on said support, a threaded fastener transpierced through said first and second clevis arms to provide a releasably lockable pivot joint between Said support and said brace, a pulley wheel rotatably disposed on said fastener within said first and second clevis arms, a sleeve slidable along said brace, means for locking said sleeve at selected longitudinal positions on said brace, a third pair of parallel spaced apart clevis arms secured to said sleeve and projecting laterally therefrom, a pivot pin transpierced through said clevis arms, and a winch mechanism secured `to said support and carrying a exible line which may be played over said pulleys and threaded `through saidcondit fox`- attachment to said-wire.

References Cited in the file of thi'spavtent yUNITED rSTATES' PATENTS 115,147 Bock Dec. 16, 1902 1 6 Kimball Apr.A 4, 1922 Gwinn et al. Dec.v 9, 1930 Moody June 27, 1933y Abramson ct al June 16, 1942 Kieser Aug. 9, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 17.1924

Australia Mar. 23, 1933 

1. IN A WIRE PULLER FOR DRAWING CONDUCTOR WIRE THROUGH AN ELECTRICAL CONDUIT, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A WINCH SUPPORT HAVING SPACED APART LEGS AT A FIRST END AND HAVING A PIVOT JOINT FORMED AT THE OPPOSITE END, A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT RIGID BRACE HAVING AN END PIVOTALLY JOINED TO SAID SUPPORT AT SAID PIVOT JOINT THEREOF FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID SUPPORT AND SAID BRACE, A FIRST ROTATABLE PULLEY SECURED AT SAID PIVOT JOINT, A SECOND ROTATABLE PULLEY SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BRACE, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CLAMPING SAID SECOND PULLEY AT SELECTED POSITIONS ALONG SAID BRACE, A CLAMP MEMBER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON AND SECURABLE TO SAID BRACE AT SELECTED LONGITUDINAL POSITIONS THEREON, SAID CLAMP MEMBER PROVIDING A LATERALLY PROJECTING SURFACE ON SAID BRACE FOR ENGAGING SAID BRACE AGAINST A SURFACE ADJACENT SAID CONDUIT, AND A WINCH MECHANISM SECURED TO SAID SUPPORT AND HAVING A FLEXIBLE RETRACTABLE LINE WHICH MAY BE PLAYED OVER EACH OF SAID PULLEYS AND THREADED THROUGH SAID CONDUIT FOR ATTACHMENT TO SAID CONDUCTOR WIRE. 